TAMPA 鈥� Before he launched an all-girls group, Destiny鈥檚 Child, that included his
daughter Beyonc茅, and before he started his own music management company and record
label, Music World Entertainment, Mathew Knowles sold copiers.
The 72-year-old music mogul began his career in sales at Xerox and quickly climbed
the ranks, becoming the number one sales executive of medical equipment and diagnostic
imaging worldwide.
Decades later, that background in diagnostic imaging would save his life. Five years
ago, five red dots on his shirt led him to ask his doctor to recommend a mammogram.
Shortly after, Knowles was diagnosed with male breast cancer.
Knowles talked about that cancer scare, his jump into the music industry, his advice to his younger self, the three-second rule of spotting talent, and a host of other topics during an hour-long Campus Conversation with a CEO event on Monday at the 鲍鱼tv Muma College of Business.
He sat down with David Blackwell, the Lynn Pippenger dean, before a crowd of about 150 students, faculty, and community
members.
Not surprisingly, one of the first questions Blackwell asked was about how Knowles
built the brand of Beyonc茅.
Knowles, who earned his MBA and PhD, said he could spend a semester teaching a course
solely on that topic.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really complex to build a brand and understanding that marketing is not a step,
it鈥檚 how you get your message heard,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about brand development. If you
don鈥檛 have anything to brand, you don鈥檛 have anything to market. For me, marketing
is everything. Without Destiny鈥檚 Child, there wouldn鈥檛 be a Beyonc茅.鈥�
Knowles said he set out to create strategic partnerships with companies like Loreal
and Pepsi. To showcase his point, he played a Pepsi commercial starring Beyonc茅 that
was aimed at expanding her brand to men.
鈥淲hen you can put your song in the commercial, that鈥檚 how you build your brand. All
of this was strategy. Think about the titles of the songs. Those songs are strategic.
That鈥檚 how we build the brand around female empowerment,鈥� he said.
He also shared that part of his artist development plan included practicing for when
things go wrong.
鈥淲e practice failure. So when they rehearse, they never know when the music was going
to cut off, if a shoe would break, if the lights wouldn鈥檛 come on the stage,鈥� he said.
Knowles is a distinguished music executive, entrepreneur and educator. As the founder
of Music World Entertainment, he transformed the company into a global powerhouse
with over 450 million records, managing some of the world鈥檚 most iconic artists including
Earth, Wind and Fire, the O鈥橨ays, Kool and the Gang.
Knowles said he likes to 鈥渒eep it real鈥� whether he鈥檚 teaching or speaking, and shared
some advice for business and life.
On spotting talent: Knowles said he goes by the three-second rule. 鈥淚n three seconds,
people sum you up. They say things like, 鈥極h, they know what they鈥檙e doing,鈥� They
sum you up. In sales, people buy you first, not your product.鈥�
On advice he would give his younger self: 鈥淐ontinue to learn and build relationships.
You gotta get out there and get known.鈥�
On the biggest mistakes that entrepreneurs make: 鈥淭hey do too much too soon. This
is not a microwave,鈥� he said.
Knowles said entrepreneurs need to go through the creative process. Then build the
right team, and answer those crucial questions around the who, the what, the why and
the where.
He shared other important life tips:
- 鈥淎n internship is the most important class you take. You take what you鈥檝e learned and you apply it.鈥�
- 鈥滷ailure or mistakes are opportunities to grow.鈥�
- 鈥淵ou should ask yourself 鈥榃hat am I passionate about?鈥� When you live your passion, you never work a day in your life.鈥�